Ice-making apparatus.



W. E. ARMISTBAD.

ICE MAKING APPARATUS APPLICATION FILED 8EPT.2, 1909.

lis

WILLIAM E. ARMISTEAD, 0F SANDERSVILLE, GEORGIA.

ICE-MAKING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 16, 1910.

Application led September 2, 1909. Serial No. 515,828.

To all whom it may concern: j

Be it known that l, lViLuAM E. ARMI- s'rnso, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sandersville, in the county of fashington and Stute of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lcelaking Apparatus; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for manufacturing ice, and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide means whereby an artificial block of ice may be formed without the central core common to manufactured ice. and free from the impurities which are frequently contained in said core and throughout the block, in ice as heretofore manufactured.

Another object of the invention is to provide means'whereby the artificial ice manufactured is not only more clear and transparent and free from impurities, as menti( ned, but also which may be frozen more quickly, and the more readily harvested, and whereby the ice is formed from opposite sides of each freezing compartment .but is separated by a central wall of unfrozen water, so that instead of the' formed ice joining centrally, each, freezing compartment contains two separate blocks of ice frozen to the desired size blocks, the necessity of sawing the ice into blocks, as in plate plants,

beimlr done away with.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the arrangement and combinations ofparts hereinafter described and more succinctly pointed Vout in the claims, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details shown and described, still for the purpose of disclosure reference is had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a practical 'embodiment of the apparatus, in which like numerals designate the same parts in the several views and .n whichy Figure l is a plan view of the apparatus showing an inner and an outer tank, the bottom of the inner tank or freezing com' artments being broken away, showing rine conducting pipes, being one arrangement for providing a freezing medium 1n the outer tank. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the outer tank showing the inner tank and the brine conducting pipes in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a cross section through one of the inner and outer tanks along the line of the inwardly projecting and hollow partitions, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the interior or freezing tanks.

I n freezing tanks as heretofore constructed, the arrangement has been such that the ice is formed from opposite sides of the tank, the two blocks gradually approaching each other and finally congealing centrally; forming a soft core which not only tends to melt the ice more quickly but which also tends to collect and retain impuritiesv in the block of ice. Bv my arrangement, however, I provide an outer tank constructed of any suitable material for the freezing brine and within this tank there is placedan inner tank, of any desired size, consisting of a plurality of compartments, cach compartment heilig formed by internal hollow partitions'open at the bottom, top and outer faces, communicating with the outer tank, but. closed at their inner faces and spaced apart to provide for the maintenance 0f a wall of nnfrozen water extendin substantially along the central portion o the inner tank.

In the accompanying drawings, l designates the outer tank, and within this outer tank is contained what I term the inner or freezing tank, comprising a compartments 2, formed by tie inwardly rojecting hollow partitions 3 communicatmg with the outer tank at the bottom and at one side, and closed against communica.-

tion with the inner tank by end walls 4. These partitions extend from both sides, and the end walls of each pair are opposed to each other but are spaced apart to form an opening 5 therebetween, and these end walls are referably provided with a strip of materia 5*, such as wood or other suitable material that4 is n. non-heat conductor. This strip of material 5* not only serves to destroy the freezin surface of 'the end walls, in order to facilitate keeping the central passageway 5^- open, but- .these strips also serve to brace the walls of the hollow partitions 3 against displacement. 'These strips 5* may be held in lace by any suitable means, and in the dprawin there are shown sleeves 6 between the en wallst and through these sleeves are pnssed'bolts 7 at the top and bottom which rigidly hold 4the artitlons against displacement. 1

The inner tank is supported on the bottom lurality of ll indicate vertical extensions of the beam l S, atV each end ot' the apparatus, and the beam' S and extensions ll being' disposed central of the tanks, with the extensions disposed between the inner and outer fac-es respectively of the outer and inner tanks, two

separated brine compartments are formed,

complete circulation around the tank being prevented by the beams 8 and 11, protecting i the central zone or Wall of Water againstI freezing.

Any suitable cooling means may be einployed and it is immaterial in practice, as to the present invention, Whether the cooling brine` is introduced into the outer tank from a storage tank or the expansion coils for cooling the brine is placed directly in the outer tank, both means being of common knowledge. For simplicity of illustration, however. in the drawings, l have shown the 'ornier means, wherein the freezing medium, Such as cold brine, introduced into the outer tank by any suitable means, couventionally shown as comprising an inlet pipe lb connected to a header ll located Within a storage or brine cooling tanlthl, '16 designating outlet pipes from the outer tank discharging bark into the brine storage tank.

'lhe inlet pipe 13 branches oli', as at 1T, to form the double pipinf:T 1S extending along the bottom ol the outer tank below th:- inner tank and provided with jet orifha-s l5 disposed lherenlonfr, some of which orilires; are disposed within the hollow partitious and other of 'which extend along the bottom of the inner tank, so that the freezinter medium freely circulates within the' outer tank on each side thereof and finally overflows hack into the storage brine.

The freezing medium may be pumped cooling brine, .so that beati-'l Freo/:ing operation has been ilisrontinued.

and ill desired to heatlhe free/.ing sur" faves in order to loosen the hlm-lts of ico therefrom that they may be readily barvested.

in a system where a pluralit)l of tree/iner tanks :1ro employed, the tanks are laid hide h5' side, the. saine heilig` :spaced apart and the spaces bel/weon the outer tanks may be filled-l system.

' with a non-heat-eonrlucting material.y so that a heatingr medium may be in use in one Set of tanks. while in tlul other sets, the freezing compartments may still he undergoing a freezing operation.l each of the freezing compartments being completely insulated units` It. will also be antler-.stood that in order to keep the water in agitation within the freezing compartments, there may be disposed a perforated pipe extending longitudinally of the freezing 1111airtn'ients, means being provided for forcing air therethrough, whereby the air bubbles passing up through the tank will agitare the water during the freezing process, .\s any suitable means may be employ-d, however'. for agit-ating the water, and any suit-able freezing means may be used, it will noibe necessary to further refer to these elements as they are old in the art and do not form any essential part of the present invent-ion.

In operation it will be. understood that the freezing compartments '2 are filled up withpure Water. and with the freezing means shown the freezing brine is introduced into the` outer tank, circulating around at each side of the inner tank and up through the holler.' partitions l, the t'r zing brine overtirwfing through the overllow pipes 16 beforereaching' the top of the hollow partitions.

As the freezing brine circulates between' ie inner and outer tanks, the water within e freezing compartments is acted upon by six freezing surfaces 'for each compartment. three on one side 0f the compartment and three on the other side of the compartment, the freezing surfaces consisting of the inside of the inner tanks walls and the out-- .sido ot the hollow partitions. The inner ends l ol the partitions, however, beingr provided with non-heuteondueting strips, and the beams- S and ll prevent-ing the brine from flowing completely around the inner tank, these faces do not. form freezing surfaces. and as the ice freezes alongl the Walls ot' the. partition and tank there is a wall of water maintained within the Space or nontreeziug zone 5 between the inner ends of the partit-ions, and hence two blocks of ice tl l .` aro formed in each compartment with a Wall into the outer tank through the header by any suitable pumping'apparatus and it Will be also understoml that the outer tank is l provided with means l'or withdrutting the lninc may he i rirrulaled through the. outer tank, after the of walter therebetween, which wall of water contains all of the impurities and the blocks are formed without u central core.

lfroni the tort-going it will be Seen that; bha-lis ot pure ico may be formed of any h- 'rwlsr/,e and by which the necessity of expensive uunfhinery for ,waiving the ice hlm-ks' into proper size is dispensed with. ul'tlurmoro it will he observed that the expensive outer luuk of a systmn is with. :nul the size of plant by my system may he enla fed :is occasion requires liv :airlineon anon r section, each outer and inner tank formi. g a single unit in n Having thus described the invention, what I claim iszl. In apparatus for manufacturing iee, a freezing tank having.r inwardly projecting hollow partitions with o posed inner ends spaced apartand provided with a surface of substantially non-heat conducting material to maintain a Wall of unfrozen water therealong. in combination with means for circuiating a freezing medium around the exterior of said tank and within said hollow partitions. substantially as deseribed.

2. ln apparatus for manufacturing ice, the combination of an outer tank for containing a freezing medium. an inner tank spaced apart from said outer tank and having inwardly projecting opposed hollow partitions. the inn-er enid walls of said hollow partitions being spaced apart and provided with a surface of substantial!)` non-heat conductingr materiai to maintain a dividing wall of unfrozen water Centrally of the inner tank, whereby blocks of ice are formed on opposite sides of thetank without a central core. suhstantia" fis described.

3. in apparatus for manufauturing ice, the combination with an outer tank. of an inner tank spaced therefrom and provided with a )lurality of com artments formed by inwardly projeetingho low partitions communirating with said outer tank and closed at their inner opposed ends, Strips of nonheatconducting material disposed Within said hollow partitions against. the inner end walls thereof, sleeves disposed between the opposed faces of said partitions and bolts l l l i Y l l l l l passing through said strips and sleeves. the whole arranged to rigidly support Said partitions against luicklin;r or flis[.laeenuut, and said partitions heilig .spat-ed apart endwise to permit of the u'xaintenam'e of a longitudinal wall of water centrally of said inner tank, wherehy two hloolis otl ire are formed in eac-h compartment withont a ventral Core, substantially as described.

4. In apparatus for inanufarturing ice, the. eomhinaiionof au outer-tank forcontainin;r a freezing medium, a ventral hase heam runnin,"r longitudinally on the inside of the .outer tank at the bottoni thereof, and provided with vertical extensions at. each end, and an inner tanlt resting on said hase beam and spared apart from `said outer tank. said inner tank being provided with inwardtir projet-thmr opposed hollow partitions, the inner end walls of said hollow partitions hein; t .spaced apart to contain a longitudinal wall of unfrozen water. and said vertical extensions separating' the ends of Said inner and outer tanks. whereby Said hase beam and said Yertn'al extension prevent the C11- rulation of the freezing medium entirely around said inner tanlc. and provides' non freezingr surfares in the plane of the rolumn ot unfrozon water.

in testimony whereot` 1 aliix my Signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. ARMISTEAD.

'itnesses HENRY M. Kimm, MACK Sessions 

